Crying wolf won't help us

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 1, 2009 | by GEORGE LEWIS

Race relations is one of those issues on which nearly everyone has his or her own take. Even members of the same family don't see things the same way. That's because we all have different experiences that shape our opinions.

I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood and don't remember meeting a black classmate until I was in seventh grade. My father was in the Air Force and worked with airmen from all races, so it's not like I was unaware of racial differences, although to a young boy those differences were more physical than cultural.

My mom grew up in the South, but didn't judge people by the color of their skin. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should have known her. My brothers, sisters and I were raised to treat people with respect until they demonstrated they didn't deserve it.

I'm not perfect when it comes to race. Although I'm not proud of it, I've used the N-word in the past and I sometimes give shady looking young blacks a wide berth at the mall. But I try to treat people I come in contact with equally and respectfully, regardless of skin color or a host of other reasons.

I haven't been the victim of racism, real or perceived. I've never been followed around a store by security personnel because I was a young black man. When someone treats me rudely, I usually chalk it up to them having a bad day. Most times; sometimes I figure they're simply jerks.

I can understand, though, how some members of minorities see suspicion in the eyes of others when they walk into a store or while walking down the street. But I also believe many blacks and Hispanics have chips on their shoulders and see racism where it doesn't exist.

Based on the news reports and letters we've received here at The Gazette, I believe the Peterson commissary Presidents Day/ Washington's Birthday flap was a misunderstanding, with no racism intended. Does that make me a racist? In some people's minds, yes. For them, there can be no disagreement once racism is charged; if you're not with them, you're a hater.

Regardless of the motivations behind people's actions at Peterson, the resulting fallout shows that although this nation elected a bi-racial president, not everything is rosy on the race front.

I don't know of anyone who believes Barack Obama's election means all races will now join hands and sing "Kumbaya." No, we still have a long way to go.

And we'll never get anywhere with people hollering "racism" and "reverse racism" any time they don't agree with something. There is real racism out there. People are still denied jobs, loans and other things simply because of the color of their skin. However, it diminishes real racism when every slight is referred to using the word. People should use care when tossing that word around, lest it lose all meaning and become simply another tired clich?

There likely always will be people who hate others because of their skin color, their accents, where their parents came from or their religion. Tolerating their opinions, so long as they don't infringe on the legitimate rights of others, is one of the prices we pay for a free society. It's up to the rest of us to have conversations, get to know one another as individuals and attempt to lear up the misunderstandings that still divide us.

In doing so, we relegate the true haters to the fringes, where they can do little damage to a society and a nation that values the individual and judges him or her on actions, not skin color.

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Lewis is a writer and copy editor for The Gazette opinion pages.